Class of 2024: Stock Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today, I want to highlight some stock risers in the updated rankings of the 2024 class. Some of these kids had excellent summers and deserved recognition for their games. Let's talk about a few of those kids.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209907' first='Nevaeh' last='Thompson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634602e34a20f","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["209907"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I didn't see Thompson over the summer, but her end-of-the-season for Waukesha West was excellent. The Wolverine was the best player on the floor in a road matchup with eventual state champion Kettle Moraine. She has a unique style of offense, which entails her attacking the basket from the perimeter but not shooting the ball all that much. Her physicality is hard to deal with for defenses, and she excels at finishing through contact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='388287' first='Alayna' last='West']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634602e74a210","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["388287"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You won't find many kids who play as hard as West does. Her motor runs high, and that's how she managed to grab 17 and 19 rebounds against Sun Prairie and Verona last year. West can also handle the ball and create her shot, I think she could be a lead guard, but her creation has to get a little better. Overall, I think she's a kid worthy of a scholarship and will have an intriguing summer in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209594' first='Katelyn' last='Odem']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634602ed4a211","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["209594"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Homestead wing plays with 120% effort whenever she's on the court. No matter what time, place, or other factors, Odem will play with the most desperation on the floor. Over the summer, it felt like she got more comfortable within her role and expanded what she did offensively. Odem was a more aggressive shooter and attacked the basket. In my opinion, Odem helped herself the most in June and July.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='444787' first='Maia' last='Ellis']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634602f44a212","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["444787"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Ellis play periodically throughout the summer, and her athleticism on the wing is elite. She has a high defensive IQ with the size and lateral mobility to match. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ellis playing elite defense late in the postseason this year against scholarship-level players and popping to coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='337022' first='Natalie' last='Meaux']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634602f94a213","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["337022"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Franklin guard flies under the radar for a few reasons. Meaux is a small guard on a solid but not great high school program and doesn't play for highlights. She's a scrappy kid that constantly makes the right play. She can score and create from all over the floor, and I'll be interested in seeing how she plays this upcoming season leading into her final AAU run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='521880' first='Ava' last='Hanson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634603044a214","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["521880"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Oshkosh North guard won't get a lot of eyes on her during the high school season because that program gets beaten up in the FVA, but her skill and (some) luck helped her this summer. Hanson was the best player on her Blaze 2024 team. After some injuries on their 2023 Inferno team, she got an opportunity to play up this summer. At that time, she took her chance and ran with it. Hanson also earned her first scholarship offer, so coaches noticed her quickly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->